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Recently bought a copy. What successes have people had with this book? Any recommendations on where to start?

The Ischl Tarts are delicious, although I seem to remember a problem with adding the amount of water called for to the chocolate coating. I can't remember if I had halved the recipe or not, though. Also, the dough is a bit crumbly, so I usually add a touch of cream to bring it together.

I want to cook my way through the whole book but here is what I've tried so far:(I’ve posted some of these photos on other assorted threads but it’s nice to have them here with the cookbook..)

Topfentorte (Farmer's Cheesecake) This is Austria’s version of cheesecake—Made with “Topfen” or Farmer’s cheese instead of cream cheese it’s a bit lighter in texture. Lemon is an important flavoring as well.And a slice with rhubarb sauce...

Kastanienschnitten (Chestnut Cream Slices) Chestnut desserts are one of the glories of Austrian and Hungarian baking. Here’s a thread we had discussing Austrian/Hungarian chestnut cakes.click

Ribiselschaumschnitten (Red Currant Meringue Slices) The base recipe in the book is given for blueberries but red currants are very traditional if you can find them! The tart flavor plays well against the meringue cream. I think they suggest adding more lemon juice for making the blueberry version. This is really an easy and great dessert. The layer of buttery, moist cake, tart berries and creamy meringue toppiing.

Gundel Palataschinken (Gundel-Style Crepes)These are so delicious. My photo does not do them justice. This was a serving I made up a day later and the chocolate sauce had thickened a bit.. Excellent combination of tender and crispy on the edges Palatschinken, ground walnut and raisin filling with orange and rum and a dark chocolate rum sauce.

Obstpalatschinken ("Fruit" Crepes) I filled mine with Marillenmarmelade (Apricot Preserves) and topped with toasted almonds. Simple but delicious; these are great for a light lunch or dinner after a soup and/or salad. This is a common Friday Lenten meal for me.

Topfenknoedel mit Swetschkenroester (Farmer's Cheese Dumplings with Plum Compote) I rolled some of them in a mixture of ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar, the other is rolled in breadcrumbs sautéed with butter and sugar. I love these dumpling and anything made with “Topfen” (closest American equivalent is Farmer’s Cheese). These also are good for lunch or after a light supper.

Marillenknoedel (Apricot Dumplings)These dumplings are made with a potato dough (similar to a gnocchi dough) and are a special seasonal dish I look forward to each fleeting moment in summer when fresh apricots are available. A half sugar cube inside the apricot adds a needed touch of sweetness. I like adding some ground walnuts to the toasted and sweetened bread crumb coating as well. I made these with a recipe from another book but the dough he gives for “Potato Noodles with sweet poppy seeds” would probably work. (Coat them with the sweetened bread crumb coating he gives for the strawberry Topfenknoedel and add some ground walnuts if you like.)

Looking forward to comments from others on what they’ve tried from the book. For someone new to Austrian desserts I'd probably start out with the crepes and the Meringue Cream slices. Chestnut is an acquired taste for some (though many love it); the dumplings need to be eaten as a meatless meal on their own or after a very light savory course. They're filling!

I'm so grateful to Rick Rodgers for writing this cookbook. I have many other great Austrian and Hungarian cookbooks that I use and reference for desserts but this is the most detailed and up to date book in English on the topic. While he has updated some things in terms of availability of ingredients, etc. he did it in a very thoughtful and careful way that preserves the original recipes while making them accessible to many more people.

Oh my god! Those desserts look fabulous. I completely forgot that I own this book...maybe my husband's right..I do have too many cookbooks! I don't think I've made even one thing from the book but I know I've drooled over it several times. I'm inspired! I'll make something this weekend.

Wow, ludja, that's great that you photographed all those desserts! I've been drooling over the blueberry slice for a while; I didn't know the red currants were traditional, which is too bad because TJ's had red currants a few weeks ago but I used them for red currant jam. I've never seen them around here before that.

You should be seeing more red currants up through June/early July, I think. I made the red currant dessert last June with berries from a farmer's market up here in NoCal. They seem to have them here between late May-early July. They are usually a bit expensive around here but in this dessert you only need 1 1/2-2 small boxes and the currants really add a special pop--in texture and taste.

Red currant jam and jelly are wonderful as well. It is used quite a bit in Austrian desserts--as a filling for Palataschinken (crepes) for example. This use would still really highlight the jelly flavors.

I don't know if you have a enough to spare, or if you'd prefer to use a commercial red currant jelly for it, but Ischler Toertchen (Ischl Tartlets) are very delcious--two thin ground almond cookies filled with red currant jelly and glazed wtih dark chocolate...

edited to add: mukki, I just remembered that you have made the Ischl Tarts as you posted above! I haven't made his recipe yet, but my Mom makes these cookes from another recipe and it is a crumbly dough. Thanks for the tips on Rodger's recipe. The results are worth it, though!

I want to cook my way through the whole book but here is what I've tried so far:

Those are some great looking desserts! I'm especially intrigued by the cheesecake, and the red currant cake looks fantastic. I think I'll have to try my hand at a meringue current tart, from Ferber's Mes Tartes book.

Wow, thanks for the advice Ludja!! Those desserts look fantastic! I think those crepes may be calling my name... Can you make them in advance?...

Yes, you can definately make the Palatschinken in advance. After they are cooled to room temp, they'll keep very well for a couple days in a sealed plastic bag with sheets of waxed paper between them. I haven't tried freezing them myself, but one might be able to do that also. I made them earlier in the day for a dinner party I had, but I ate up the remainder quite happily for a few days aftwards. I always eat "leftovers' when just cooking for two also.

To serve, you want them warm though. So when I had extra left over I just briefly reheated them on a skillet. You can then fill and keep them for a little while in a warm oven. They can be a little crispy on the edges but you want to maintain some of the softness and tenderness of the main body of the Palatschinken as well. I think I have also warmed them briefly in a covered baking pan as well and then filled them after warming them up.

Like French crepes or American pancakes, the first one or two in the batch will be less than perfect. The first side you cook will be the prettiest, so make sure that is forms the outside when you fill them. The Palatschinken should be nice and thin. It takes a little practice but the trick is to swirl the pan as quickly as can once you pour the batter into the heated and buttered pan. I don't have a crepe pan but use my well-seasoned cast iron skillet. A small measuring cup or ladle is good for getting the proper and consistent amount of batter in there quickly.

The final texture is similar to French crepes but it is also distinct in a subtle way. They are both thin but the Palatschinken have a little more heft and tenderness than typical French crepes.

The final texture is similar to French crepes but it is also distinct in a subtle way. They are both thin but the Palatschinken have a little more heft and tenderness than typical French crepes.

I made some Palatschinken during theCrepe Cookoff Thread. Seeing all the different crepe recipes and having a few different Palataschinken recipes at home, I scaled a number of my Palataschinken recipes to the Julia Child crepe recipe in order to see if there was a consistent difference in ingredient ratios since they are a bit different in texture.

These are the conclusions I came up:

Palatschinken are sometimes translated as pancakes even though they are so thin. They are in fact like a very thin pancake but with a more crispy crust like a crepe. ...The palatschinken recipe has a flour:egg ratio which is similar to pancakes and higher than that of crepes. However, the Palatschinken batter is much thinner than pancake batter through a larger proportion of milk and has no butter added to the batter. The batter is slightly thicker than crepe batter. There is a lot of variation in different palatschinken recipes but they seem to share these general characteristics.

Anyway, way more than anyone else wants to know about Palatschinken and crepes but I found it interesting at the time since I make both!

I *would* like to make the Esterhazyschnitten pictured on the cover of Rodger's book!

I've tasted them before but have not made them myself. I'd like to try them with the kirsch-flavored buttercream although he also mentions rum or cognac as a substitute flavoring.

(For those that don't have the book, here is Rodger's version of Esterhazy "slices":

Six thin, nut meringue layers made with a mixture of ground hazelnuts and almonds.The layers are filled with a kirsch buttercreamThe top layer is covered with an apricot glaze and is then covered with a faux fondant icing which is feathered with melted dark chocolate.

(The dessert is named after a well-known Austrian/Hungarian noble family: The Esterhazy's. Among other things, the family was the major patron for composer Joseph Haydn.)

With the marbled fondant icing on top and the layers, the Esterhazyschnitten look like a Napoleon at a quick glance. The rest of the pastry is quite different though given the nut-meringue layers and buttercream filling.

Austrians and Hungarians make something similar to Napoleons that also use crisp puff pastry layers. The filling, as Rodgers describes, is usually a pastry cream lightened with whipped cream unlike the straight pastry cream used in Napoleaons. He give a variant with coffee icing called, "Francia Kremes" although more generically without the icing they're simply called "Cremeschitten" or 'cream slices.

Oh my god! Those desserts look fabulous. I completely forgot that I own this book...maybe my husband's right..I do have too many cookbooks! I don't think I've made even one thing from the book but I know I've drooled over it several times. I'm inspired! I'll make something this weekend.

jb

Your post, Jean, this thread and a couple of bananas that were turning soft inspired me to try the Banana Gugelhupf this weekend. As Rodgers mentions, the Austrian Gugelhupf, from which the American Bundt cake descended, is typically flavored with lemon, vanilla and raisins (sometimes rum-soaked) but this newer version has mashed bananas instead of raisins in it.

The texture of this cake is wonderful, slightly dense and moist. Unlike modern American banana breads/cakes that often use in excees of a cup of oil to achieve richness and moistness this one uses instead 1/3 cup of heavy cream. I think the flavor and texture are much better; I'll be making this easy cake often. It keeps well for at least five days if wrapped well in plastic and stored at room temp. We've been enjoying it for breakfast with coffee.

Oh my god! Those desserts look fabulous. I completely forgot that I own this book...maybe my husband's right..I do have too many cookbooks! I don't think I've made even one thing from the book but I know I've drooled over it several times. I'm inspired! I'll make something this weekend.

jb

Your post, Jean, this thread and a couple of bananas that were turning soft inspired me to try the Banana Gugelhupf this weekend. As Rodgers mentions, the Austrian Gugelhupf, from which the American Bundt cake descended, is typically flavored with lemon, vanilla and raisins (sometimes rum-soaked) but this newer version has mashed bananas instead of raisins in it.

The texture of this cake is wonderful, slightly dense and moist. Unlike modern American banana breads/cakes that often use oil to achieve richness and moistness this one uses instead 1/3 cup of heavy cream. I think the flavor and texture are much better; I'll be making this easy cake often. It keeps well for at least five days if wrapped well in plastic and stored at room temp. We've been enjoying it for breakfast with coffee.

This looks fabulous! I've had this page dog-eared because I always seem to have waaaay more bananas than I can use up, and this recipe looked delicious. I was intrigued by his use of cream! How pronounced was the lemon zest?

Thanks! The lemon zest adds a very nice flavor; and gives a final taste that is a bit different than the flavor profile of an American banana cake.

I used the full amount of recommended zest (from one med-large. lemon) and would definately do so again. The banana flavor of the cake is nuanced and I think the lemon and vanilla add to the final, slightly mysterious flavor of the cake.

I came oh, so close to buying this cookbbook when it first came out. It was featured on "The Splendid Table" one week, with loving detail of the interior and ambience of Austria's kaffehausen, and information enough about the recipes to set me drooling. In my mind's eye I could see myself, lingering (in such a setting one lingers, one does not dawdle) with a friend over fine layers of pastry, as distinguished souls strolled by for their own tables. Or relaxing over a book I'd brought from my graduate class in 18th-century European art. I was going to get that book, and create a little kaffehaus ambience of my own in my good cheerful home.

Then I looked around me. I rarely bake, save for the occasional foray into bread baking or the safe batch of chocolate chip cookies for the office. My husband doesn't eat desserts. My expanding backside tells me I should eat them less. I decided against the purchase.

Thank you for starting this thread. I look forward to more posts, so I can vicariously cook and feast from this book: sin without the wages, so to speak.

I've made the Dalmatian Four Flavor Kolacky many times for catered breakfasts. I've multiplied the recipe X4 and made 72 smaller kolacky with one flavor per pastry. They are so good!
The recipe for strudel dough is the best I've made. It was the easiest, flakiest strudel dough I've made. I could roll the dough to paper thinness in no time. It just a wonderful book. Everything I've made has turned out well.

I came oh, so close to buying this cookbbook when it first came out. It was featured on "The Splendid Table" one week, with loving detail of the interior and ambience of Austria's kaffehausen, and information enough about the recipes to set me drooling. In my mind's eye I could see myself, lingering (in such a setting one lingers, one does not dawdle) with a friend over fine layers of pastry, as distinguished souls strolled by for their own tables. Or relaxing over a book I'd brought from my graduate class in 18th-century European art. I was going to get that book, and create a little kaffehaus ambience of my own in my good cheerful home.

Then I looked around me. I rarely bake, save for the occasional foray into bread baking or the safe batch of chocolate chip cookies for the office. My husband doesn't eat desserts. My expanding backside tells me I should eat them less. I decided against the purchase.

Thank you for starting this thread. I look forward to more posts, so I can vicariously cook and feast from this book: sin without the wages, so to speak.

Thanks for the wonderful post, smithy! The evocation of the graceful Kaffehaus's in Vienna, Prague and Budapest and elswhere in Central Europe do add a lot to the enjoyment for me as well.

Yeah, it can get harder regarding desserts depending on all sorts of factors. My sister developed lactose intolerance as an adult, on older relative has Type II diabetes and another needs to nix gluten. It makes it more diffcult to have Austrian desserts when I go back home now...

I've made the Dalmatian Four Flavor Kolacky many times for catered breakfasts. I've multiplied the recipe X4 and made 72 smaller kolacky with one flavor per pastry. They are so good! The recipe for strudel dough is the best I've made. It was the easiest, flakiest strudel dough I've made. I could roll the dough to paper thinness in no time. It just a wonderful book. Everything I've made has turned out well.

That is nice to know that the kolachy and strudel dough recipes are solid. Thanks, maftoul!

I had a good kolachy family recipe from a friend but I'm not sure I still have it.

Do you mind sharing which flours have been successful for the strudel dough? Rodgers only specifies "unbleached" but we've gravtiated towards and stayed with King Arthur's Unbleached Flour. Other regular flours did not work for us but maybe simple getting unbleached flour is sufficient.

I *would* like to make the Esterhazyschnitten pictured on the cover of Rodger's book!

I've tasted them before but have not made them myself. I'd like to try them with the kirsch-flavored buttercream although he also mentions rum or cognac as a substitute flavoring.

(For those that don't have the book, here is Rodger's version of Esterhazy "slices":

Six thin, nut meringue layers made with a mixture of ground hazelnuts and almonds.The layers are filled with a kirsch buttercreamThe top layer is covered with an apricot glaze and is then covered with a faux fondant icing which is feathered with melted dark chocolate.

(The dessert is named after a well-known Austrian/Hungarian noble family: The Esterhazy's. Among other things, the family was the major patron for composer Joseph Haydn.)

With the marbled fondant icing on top and the layers, the Esterhazyschnitten look like a Napoleon at a quick glance. The rest of the pastry is quite different though given the nut-meringue layers and buttercream filling.

Austrians and Hungarians make something similar to Napoleons that also use crisp puff pastry layers. The filling, as Rodgers describes, is usually a pastry cream lightened with whipped cream unlike the straight pastry cream used in Napoleaons. He give a variant with coffee icing called, "Francia Kremes" although more generically without the icing they're simply called "Cremeschitten" or 'cream slices.

I've made the Esterhazyschnitten and it is fabulous. The only problem, if you could call it a problem, was that the chocolate 'marble' design tended to smear a little into the fondant. This cake is actually easier and more forgiving than it appears, although it is time-consuming. I found that the nut meringues did get a bit soggy out of the oven (it was a damp day), but did well when assembled with the buttercream. I did the rum version. This schnitten was a serious hit with family and friends and I've been requested to make it over and over. Here's a rather pathetic attempt at a photo:

I've made the Dalmatian Four Flavor Kolacky many times for catered breakfasts. I've multiplied the recipe X4 and made 72 smaller kolacky with one flavor per pastry. They are so good! The recipe for strudel dough is the best I've made. It was the easiest, flakiest strudel dough I've made. I could roll the dough to paper thinness in no time. It just a wonderful book. Everything I've made has turned out well.

That is nice to know that the kolachy and strudel dough recipes are solid. Thanks, maftoul!

I had a good kolachy family recipe from a friend but I'm not sure I still have it.

Do you mind sharing which flours have been successful for the strudel dough? Rodgers only specifies "unbleached" but we've gravtiated towards and stayed with King Arthur's Unbleached Flour. Other regular flours did not work for us but maybe simple getting unbleached flour is sufficient.

I use King Arthur unbleached flour as well as Gold Medal Organic Unbleached with equally good results. Both of those flours seem very similar. I would probably prefer King Arthur, but Gold Medal Organic is more cost effective for us. No one else in the kitchen I work in could tell the difference.

...I've made the Esterhazyschnitten and it is fabulous. The only problem, if you could call it a problem, was that the chocolate 'marble' design tended to smear a little into the fondant. This cake is actually easier and more forgiving than it appears, although it is time-consuming. I found that the nut meringues did get a bit soggy out of the oven (it was a damp day), but did well when assembled with the buttercream. I did the rum version. This schnitten was a serious hit with family and friends and I've been requested to make it over and over. Here's a rather pathetic attempt at a photo:

I agree with Smithy, these look perfectly fabulous, anisette!

I do have a (perhaps silly) question. Did you start with the recommended 17 x 11 inch jelly roll pan to bake the nut layer and did you get 8 slices out of the final recipe?

By reading the recipe, I think one would end up with 8 slices, 2 3/4 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. These aren't very large dimensions but of course the pastry is 6 layers thick along with the filling. Anway, just just curious about your comments; I would reallly like to make these sometime!

It's funny sometimes how these recipes get translated. "Esterhazyschnitten" sounds a lot nicer than his suggested "Nut Meringue Slices". I'd probably translate them as "Esterhazy Slices" or "Esterhazy Pastry" instead. Afterall, a "Paris Brest" is not usuallly translated as a "cream puff ring". (It *is* a type of cream puff ring, but that just does not exactly capture what it is!)

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with this; it certainly prompts me to try them sooner!

edited to add: Thanks for your tip regarding the flour for strudel, maftoul. I've been *afraid* to switch to from King Arthur's unbleached flour for strudel but it's great to know that the Gold Medal Organic Unbleached flour will work as well in case I can't get ahold of the King Arthur. There are flours that definately do not have the proper gluten for strudel dough and trying to use one of those can be a frustrating exercise!

I do have a (perhaps silly) question. Did you start with the recommended 17 x 11 inch jelly roll pan to bake the nut layer and did you get 8 slices out of the final recipe?

By reading the recipe, I think one would end up with 8 slices, 2 3/4 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. These aren't very large dimensions but of course the pastry is 6 layers thick along with the filling. Anway, just just curious about your comments; I would reallly like to make these sometime!

It's funny sometimes how these recipes get translated. "Esterhazyschnitten" sounds a lot nicer than his suggested "Nut Meringue Slices". I'd probably translate them as "Esterhazy Slices" or "Esterhazy Pastry" instead. Afterall, a "Paris Brest" is not usuallly translated as a "cream puff ring". (It *is* a type of cream puff ring, but that just does not exactly capture what it is!)

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with this; it certainly prompts me to try them sooner!

Thanks Smithy & Ludja for the photographic vote of confidence. I had tried to take a more 3-D photo, but somehow it just didn't look right. Ludja, BTW those pics above - fabulous!

Ludja, It's funny, I thought the same thing as you that I'd get about 8 slices. I used a jelly roll pan - 17 x 11, but only got 6 slices out of it. I had to trim the edges a bit since they were a little ragged looking. Plus it seemed that once out of the oven the nut layer tended to shrink a bit and then I was afraid that I would only get 5 slices. Again, it is an absolutely wonderful recipe, although I think next time I may try to use a stiffer fondant topping as for a Napoleon as I found that this one didn't set up as much as I would have liked. I hope to bake more from this book soon, the recipes (and stories) are so inspiring.

Do post your results once you've made this recipe, I'd be curious to find what you think of it.

Marillenknoedel (Apricot Dumplings)These dumplings are made with a potato dough (similar to a gnocchi dough) and are a special seasonal dish I look forward to each fleeting moment in summer when fresh apricots are available. A half sugar cube inside the apricot adds a needed touch of sweetness. I like adding some ground walnuts to the toasted and sweetened bread crumb coating as well. I made these with a recipe from another book but the dough he gives for “Potato Noodles with sweet poppy seeds” would probably work. (Coat them with the sweetened bread crumb coating he gives for the strawberry Topfenknoedel and add some ground walnuts if you like.)

Forgot to mention that my Mum has made a variation on these apricot dumplings (with Italian prune plums) ever since I was an infant. Every fall she cranks out about 500 of these babies and we freeze them to enjoy them all year long. We always serve them with a dollop (or two, or 3!) of sour cream and extra sugar. Once the dumplings are boiled, the plums inside burst and release wonderful plum juices that flavor and color the sour cream. We simply call them "knedle". Comfort food at its finest!

Marillenknoedel (Apricot Dumplings)These dumplings are made with a potato dough (similar to a gnocchi dough) and are a special seasonal dish I look forward to each fleeting moment in summer when fresh apricots are available. A half sugar cube inside the apricot adds a needed touch of sweetness. I like adding some ground walnuts to the toasted and sweetened bread crumb coating as well. I made these with a recipe from another book but the dough he gives for “Potato Noodles with sweet poppy seeds” would probably work. (Coat them with the sweetened bread crumb coating he gives for the strawberry Topfenknoedel and add some ground walnuts if you like.)...

Forgot to mention that my Mum has made a variation on these apricot dumplings (with Italian prune plums) ever since I was an infant. Every fall she cranks out about 500 of these babies and we freeze them to enjoy them all year long. We always serve them with a dollop (or two, or 3!) of sour cream and extra sugar. Once the dumplings are boiled, the plums inside burst and release wonderful plum juices that flavor and color the sour cream. We simply call them "knedle". Comfort food at its finest!

My grandmother (and now us) make the dumplings with Italian plums as well. There is something about these dumplings that seem to evoke really strong taste memories for those that grew up with them! I've always felt strongly about them (first thing I always asked my Oma to make on visits) and I've heard the same thing many times from others as well.

What a great tip regarding freezing them! Do you freeze them before or after boiling them? And then how do continue once you defrost them?

I never thought of doing this but it would be a wonderful as the apricots and plums are so seasonal. Thanks also for sharing your tradition of eating the Knedel with sour cream; that sounds delicious!

***

Thanks also for the additional details on the Esterhazyschnitten regarding the yield and the fondant. Your success and the extra information gives me a lot more confidence to try the recipe sooner rather than later!